The present invention generally relates to the field of multiple-component field analysis. More particularly, the present invention pertains to digital determination of the relative proportional content of individual components in multiple-component fields.
Generally, the desirability of being able to immediately assess the relative content comprised of any particular component in a defined area of two or more distinct components has gone unrecognized. For example, it may be desirable to quickly and accurately determine the percentage of farm acreage flooded during spring rains, the proportion of trees in a forest that have been damaged by forest fire or by drought, or the percentage of a human head which is covered by hair. Frequently, visual estimates may provide the sole basis for such data. However, accurately monitoring the percentage of the human scalp covered by hair can provide a ready indication of the amount of new hair growth. This is of particular interest in monitoring the beneficial results of individual hair growth treatments for male pattern baldness, diffuse alopecia areata, or other hair related disorders.
For years concern has existed over the predominance and uncontrollability of male pattern baldness. Many and various solutions and treatments have been proffered to the public for overcoming this condition, including assorted tonics and hair transplants. Because of the relative lack of success of the vast majority of these treatments, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) has been extremely reluctant to grant approval for any medical product designed to rejuvenate the growth of hair on the scalp or other body regions. In the face of substantial opportunities for fraud, the F.D.A. requires extensive, detailed analysis and substantiation for any claims of renewed hair growth. Accordingly, many drug manufacturers have gone to great lengths to provide such substantiation.
Hair growth has been traditionally monitored by initially counting each hair on a specified scalp area prior to application of a hair growth formula. Subsequently, after a predetermined observation period, each and every hair in the specified scalp region is again counted. In this fashion, the number of additional hairs sprouted during the observation period may be determined and the degree of success of the treatment monitored.
However, this method may be extremely time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, this method suffers serious drawbacks in its accuracy and reliability. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for readily and accurately analyzing a scalp region to determine the increase in hair growth which occurs during the observation period in response to the hair growth treatment.
Similar problems may also occur in related medicinal applications. For example, it may be desirable to monitor the decrease of acne in the facial region in response to treatment by acne medicine. Likewise, it may be desirable to monitor the decrease of scar tissue or the degree of healing indicated by such a decrease in scar tissue. Similarly, in health safety studies conducted with animals, it may be desirable to assess the degrees and extent of skin irritation, erythemia, produced by topical application of a putative industrial irritant. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus which may readily provide an accurate and reliable measure of the percentage of a defined area which is covered by scar tissue or other surface abnormalities such as acne.
Outside the field of medicine, the same type of difficulties frequently occur. Although the proportional content of one or more components in a particular area may be the most telling evidence of particular pheonomena, such evidence may not be readily obtainable. Factors such as cost, accuracy and reliability may render unsatisfactory most currently utilized products and methods, including physical counts and visual approximations. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a means and method for digitally analyzing the proportional content of each component in multiple-component fields.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of digital field analysis for generally overcoming the deficiencies of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for digitally analyzing multiple-component visible fields.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to allow accurate and reliable measurement of the percentage of change in proportional content for one or more components in a multiple-component field over a particular observation period.
It is a related, particular object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for digitally measuring the percentage of a human scalp region which is comprised of hair. It is a corresponding further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which allows an accurate and reliable measurement of the percentage change in the proportional area of the scalp region covered by human hair in response to treatment over a specified observation period.